


In Which Snoke Has An Almost Unhealthy Appreciation For Summer Break, and Everyone Involved Has a Lot of Fun

by CaptainNaztyPantz



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, M/M, Summer, Summer Vacation, a lot of sexual tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-28 23:47:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12618292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainNaztyPantz/pseuds/CaptainNaztyPantz
Summary: Snoke is sending everyone on summer vacation after the big defeat because he is a firm believer in stress relief and summer fun.





	1. He Can't Be Serious

The room was decorated comfortably, and there was a hot teapot nestled cozily on the table. The chairs that filled the room were garishly orange, almost obscene in their plushness. On the walls, there were pictures of small kittens that were in the midst of tumbling and playing and meowing. At the very head of the room was a large desk, behind it was another comfortable but garishly orange chair. In short; it was not at all what Hux was expecting. 

In fact, he had been expecting cold, crumbling stone, a dark and haunting aura, and perhaps strange and horrifying creatures. 

But, no. Snoke’s office and home looked cozy and comfortable; things that Hux would never even think to associate with the Supreme Leader. It was disconcerting, to say the least. 

Ren stood beside him, having mostly recovered on the journey there. He was maskless, and he wore a sour look on his face. Even with the previous recovery time, he was still canted slightly to the side, favoring the injury. 

It was what he deserved, having fought his recovery the whole way. Hux had to tell the med droids to administer as much sedative as possible without killing the man. It was for his own good. 

Currently, they both stood awkwardly, facing the door as they waited. Hux kept his back straight, his face emotionless as always. A quick glance at Ren revealed that he looked wary of his surroundings, but not surprised. After all, Ren had spent much more time with the Supreme Leader than he; Ren was probably used to Snoke’s strange taste in decoration. 

A few moments passed by in silence, until slow, shambling footsteps were heard coming towards the room they were in. Hux tensed, straightening his already perfect posture. 

The door handle twisted, the door swinging inward, revealing the surprisingly small figure of the Supreme Leader Snoke. His posture was a bit hunched, and he was much uglier in person. His features were twisted into a semblance of pleasure, though. 

“Ren, Hux, my boys - so sorry I’m late. I sent tea up for you to enjoy while I was otherwise occupied.” Snoke glanced at the untouched tea on the table, seeming disappointed that they had not partaken. He made his partially limping way to the chair behind the desk, seemingly relieved while sinking into it. The chair was so plush that the disgusting orange color of it seemed to swallow his tiny form. The color clashed horrifically with his complexion. 

“Sit, sit,” Snoke said, waving his hand towards the two similar chairs in front of the desk. 

Hux felt no compulsion to do so, but he followed the order anyway. 

It was a small comfort that Ren also looked reluctant to do as commanded. They probably both looked ridiculous, sinking into the squishy material of the chairs.

“I’m so glad to see that you are recovering,” He said to Ren, who just looked down in sullen silence. 

This made Snoke pause, his lips twisting into a small frown. “Losing Starkiller was quite the setback,” Snoke began, his gaze shifting to Hux. 

Hux could only try to remain his perfect posture in the disgustingly squishy chair and try not to blanch. 

The next words that left Snoke’s mouth, he never would have expected. Not in a million years. Not even if Hux had traveled back in time and already knew what was going to happen. The most improbable words that he had ever heard anyone speak. 

“I think you two deserve a break,” Snoke said, his pale eyes roaming between Hux and Ren. “In fact, I believe that everyone deserves a break. It has been a long time since you two have been on vacation - I have a nice summer home on a lovely planet. I’m sure that Captain Phasma and Mitaka would love to join you on summer break.”

Hux was stunned speechless. He felt his incredulity grow at Snoke’s incongruous words. A break? After they had just suffered a major loss? Was Snoke mental? If anything, they should be working twice, if not triple as hard. Due to Hux’s good sense of self-preservation, however, he said nothing. He glanced over to gauge Ren’s reaction, only to find him looking actually interested in the proposition, his dark brown eyes lit up at the proposal. This entire situation was preposterous, Hux decided. 

“Of course, I won’t be able to join you. I find that it’s difficult for me to do much of anything nowadays. It is truly a shame. But you all go have fun; I will keep the First Order running until you get back,” Snoke finished, waving over the pot of tea and a cup. He then went about the (very important) business of making himself a cup of tea. 

It was a clear dismissal, and Hux followed Ren out of the room, viciously glad to be rid of the disgusting orange arm chair. 

-

Snoke was correct in one thing, at least; the summer home was very nice. It was a mansion in every sense of the word; one could not take it all in with a single glance. 

The architecture was glamorous, leaning towards the style of a country estate. It was made of grey stone and creamy finish. Pillars helped support the porch, and the windows gleamed from the outside view. The front yard was huge, the driveway long but straight. There was a pond off to the side that had a fountain. 

Everyone except Hux was delighted at the sight. Hux, who was rather dreading this ‘vacation’ to start with, was used to such showy opulence. After all, Hux manor was just as lavish, if not more so. 

They had arrived around midday, and they all went about carrying their luggage up to the guest rooms. Unfortunately, Hux had the misfortune of choosing the room that had a conjoined bathroom that he had to share with Ren. Their rooms were connected. Brilliant. 

He could not ask for a change; all of the other rooms were claimed by now, and he wasn’t about to kick anyone out. Hux told himself that he could deal with it for the duration of this impromptu vacation. It would only be a week or two.

After putting their luggage in their chosen rooms, they explored the house. It was big enough to get lost in, when you were unfamiliar with the layout. It had a library, a theater room, a fairly large kitchen, three bathrooms, and a sitting room. That was just the downstairs. Upstairs held the bedrooms and the conjoining bathrooms. 

The backyard held, to everyone’s delight, a ten-foot swimming pool. It held shallows on both ends of the pool. 

Hux, for his part, had held pretty much completely silent about this whole plan. He didn’t agree with it one bit. Not at all. He should be working on fixing everything that had been destroyed, after all. 

Ren, however, seemed to actually be enjoying the whole thing. For once, he actually had a happy glint in his eye instead of the usual anger. Of course the fool would be enjoying this, Hux thought bitterly. 

He found that he couldn’t stay bitter, though, when Phasma and Mitaka practically dragged him out to play in the pool. 

It was disconcerting to see Phasma and Mitaka in such a state of undress. Not that it was actually ‘undress’ per say, though it was very revealing. 

Phasma was just as muscled as he had always predicted, and her short blonde hair shone brightly in the sun. Her bikini reminded him (with a bit of shock) that Phasma was indeed a human female. It was easy to forget such a thing when she wore her metal suit all the time. Mitaka looked very small beside her. 

“I can’t stay out for long. I’ll burn,” He warned them, just before jumping into the deep end. It had been a long time since he had gone swimming, and he found that he had missed the activity quite a bit. 

“You are unusually pale,” Ren said as Hux resurfaced, shaking the water from his hair. 

Phasma laughed. “Yeah, you’re practically glowing, General.”

Hux sent them his best glare, though it probably did very little when his hair was sticking up wildly from where he had shaken it. His eyes went first to Phasma, then to Ren. The glare was probably ineffectual when he found himself staring a little too long at the man. 

The Knight had healed quite fast on the way to the planet, having been actually willing to stay still and patient in the bacta tank. All of his injuries were now the angry pink color of soon to be scars. He looked . . . good. Even the scar across his face did not detract from his attractiveness. 

Ren’s hair was free, his dark brown waves just brushing his shoulders. His chest was mostly free of hair, and was exceedingly well muscled (as was the rest of him). So what if Hux gave him a look of appreciation. 

The moment passed quickly, and Ren made his way into the water via the stairs, wading slowly into the shallows. 

“Come on, Ren; you take Hux and I’ll take Mitaka. They’re both one hundred pounds soaking wet. We’re gonna have us a chicken fight.” Phasma declared, placing a hand on the brunette’s shoulder beside her. Mitaka looked vaguely scared. 

Ren snorted. “We all know that Hux and I are going to win. You don’t have a chance.”

“You wanna wager on that?” 

So that’s how Hux found himself atop Ren’s shoulders, his pale thighs grasped tightly in large, calloused hands. Hux found his eyes drawn to the hands on his thighs, and thrilled in the knowledge that there was undeterminable amounts of power behind them. They were warm against his skin; a counterpoint to the chill of the water. The shoulders he sat atop were sturdy and broad, and he felt much like he belonged there for some reason. But then he realized that he should not be thinking that his legs were meant for Ren’s shoulders, and he felt properly chastised. 

Really, the only thing he should be grateful for at the moment was the fact that Ren seemed to be exhibiting no pain from carrying him with his so recently healed injuries. In fact, the man seemed to be completely unfazed; as solid and unwavering as always. 

Hux, ever the strategist, leaned down to give Ren advice. “Grab my hips - It’ll give you better leverage.” He whispered into Ren’s ear, not wanting Phasma to hear and do the same. He gave Ren’s hand, which was resting on Hux’s thigh still, a tap for emphasis. 

Ren’s hands slid up slowly, over his thighs to his hips. To have those hands move over him in such a way was an . . . interesting experience for Hux. 

Mitaka was brandished on Phasma’s shoulders as well, looking vaguely unsure about this whole thing. As he should be, Hux thought vindictively. After all, General Hux of the First Order was hardly about to be defeated by a lower ranking officer; even at a chicken fight. 

He felt Ren’s shoulders shake a bit under his thighs as he heard Ren huff a laugh. Had Ren been listening to his thoughts? Hux really needed to break him of that habit.

Ren and Phasma stepped closer, and Hux immediately began attacking Mitaka’s balance, making him wobble atop Phasma. Mitaka struggled against him, pushing back. The pressure was no match for Ren’s reinforced grip on his waist, however, and soon Mitaka was going down with a squeal as he slid off of Phasma’s shoulders and splashed into the water. 

“Hah!” Hux cooed in victory, a wide grin on his face. 

Below him, Ren was laughing good-naturedly, cheering and bouncing Hux along his shoulders in a type of victory dance. 

Phasma, on her part, took the defeat with good grace. If rolling one’s eyes was considered good grace. 

Mitaka came out of the water with a weak sputter and a sheepish look at Phasma. She didn’t seem to be mad at him though. Instead, she just gave his wet hair a playful ruffle. He beamed under the attention. 

Meanwhile, Hux wiggled from Ren’s shoulders, and was promptly re-submerged in the pool water. 

The atmosphere didn’t last long, as Phasma was already launching into her next plan of action. Namely, which activity they could do next. 

“We should go camping. I’m sure there has to be tents around here somewhere; it is a summer house. We can go to the store and stock up on some things: bacon, hot dogs, s’more stuff . . . “ 

Mitaka looked absolutely delighted at the prospect, and Ren nodded along. 

“I can help set up tents, and I’m pretty good at building a fire.” Ren added.

“I will go to the store! Just make a list with everything we need and I’ll get it; I’m good at running errands.” Mitaka put in, eyes shining with eagerness. 

“The woods will be a good location, but I’ll have to locate a good spot for the tents.” Phasma put in.

Hux was getting a little annoyed with the whole thing. He rather thought that camping was a rather uncomfortable experience, and he didn’t enjoy it all that much. However, if they were all so committed . . . “I suppose that leaves me to locate the camping gear.” 

Ren picked up on his mood immediately and gave him a smirk. “Why do you look so grumpy, General? Don’t like camping?”

Hux swam out to the deep water, away from Ren. “Not particularly, no.”

Ren followed him, easily keeping up. Hux couldn’t see how, with all that muscle; Ren, by all accounts of physics, should at least be having a hard time right now. Muscle sinks.

“Should’ve known that you wouldn’t like to get dirty.”

Hux turned, facing Ren as he tread water. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Ren somehow manages to shrug, even while swimming. 

Behind them, Mitaka and Phasma are carrying their own conversation. Something about the perfect melt ratio of marshmallows in s’mores. Phasma was loudly trying to convince him that burnt marshmallows were the best when trying to achieve the perfectly melted chocolate. Mitaka was holding firm that faintly browned marshmallows were the best. 

Hux found himself agreeing with Mitaka. 

Ren and Hux reached the other side of the pool, toeing the shallows. 

Ren glanced over at him with a mischievous look on his face that could only spell no good. “Wanna race?”

Hux found himself grinning smugly back. There was no way Ren was going to win; Hux had a slimmer body, and he had taken professional swim lessons. “Alright.”

After roping Phasma in to be the referee, they lined up side by side at the end of the pool. 

As soon as the word “Go!” left Phasma’s lips, they were both off. Hux shot through the water easily, not looking to see if Ren was keeping up. He could feel the choppy water though, and was surprised when Ren kept up with him remarkably well. 

This being a matter of pride now, Hux swam harder, his arms aching with the force he used to propel himself through the water. Soon, he was touching the other end of the pool, with Ren lagging only seconds behind him. At least he had won. 

Ren came up looking annoyed and amused. Hux only grinned smugly. “I win!” He pronounced, standing victoriously with his hands on his hips in the shallows. 

“Whatever,” Ren said, splashing him in the face with a hand to the water. 

Hux had not expected that, and he wiped the water away as he spluttered. “Ren, you child!” He said as he retaliated, splashing Ren back. 

Which started an all-out splash war. It really was quite childish; especially when Phasma and Mitaka got involved. 

“Alright, alright,” Hux said, making his way to the steps leading out of the pool. “I have to get out before I burn. If I haven’t already.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll get out too,” Ren agreed, making his way out as well. 

Soon, they were all making their way out of the pool. 

“We should see if there’s a river nearby. I’d love to go swim in real water,” Phasma was saying as they dried off. 

“That was real water,” Mitaka pointed out. 

Phasma shot him a look, and he looked away. “Haven’t you ever been to a river, boy? It’s a completely different experience.”

“She’s right. You have to fight the current, the water is freezing, and you have to deal with sharp rocks and fish,” Ren said, a grin on his face.

“Exactly. It’s great.”

Once Hux was dry enough to not drip, he made his way up to his room, ready for a shower. He opened the door to the bathroom, pleased when it was completely dark, the door leading to Ren’s room closed. He turned on the light, closed the door, then stripped away his wet swimming shorts, placing them on the towel rack to dry. 

There came noises from Ren’s side, footsteps toward the bathroom, and Hux only had enough time to wrap his waist in a towel quickly before Ren barged in. 

“Ren! Please knock next time. We do share this bathroom, you know,” Hux said, flushing a bit. If he hadn’t had time to wrap the towel around him, then Ren would have found him most decidedly naked.

“Sorry, General.” 

He didn’t sound sorry at all. 

Ren’s eyes went to Hux’s chest of all places. “You did get a little sun. Your freckles are showing.”

Hux blinked. It was an odd thing for Ren to notice.

Before he had a chance to even puzzle out a response to that, Ren was closing the door. “You should lock the door next time.” The door clicked shut. Hux rushed to lock it, the latch closing with a click.


	2. Cumbersome Camping

After his shower, he inspected his shoulders in the mirror. Ren was right; his freckles were beginning to darken. He would have to be more careful the next time he was in the sun. He also noticed (with terror) that he had also gotten freckles across the bridge of his nose. It was a bit disheartening.

He remembered to unlock Ren’s door before going back to his room. The only bad thing about the arrangement was that he could not lock his door against Ren without also locking Ren out of the bathroom. It was the same for them both. The door leading to the hallway locked, but it was only a farce of privacy. 

No matter; he hadn’t had much privacy as a General anyway. 

Hux got dressed in loose, comfortable clothing. Civilian clothing. A light blue T-shirt that was a bit too loose around the collar and a pair of pajama pants. 

At the smell of something delicious, he followed his nose downstairs into the kitchen, where a freshly-showered Mitaka was cooking. He looked up and gave Hux a tentative smile as he sautéed vegetables in a pan. 

“Dinner will be done in a little while. I figured I might make something while everyone else got cleaned up.” He explained. 

“That smells delicious. What are we having?”

Mitaka flushed in pleasure at the words. “Steak fajitas. Is that alright?”

“Yes, of course. That sounds lovely. Do you need any help?”

“Hmm, well, actually, can you get the cheese and the sour cream out? Also, I think there might be alcohol of some kind around here somewhere. . . “

Hux did as requested, setting the items down on the counter next to Mitaka. He then went in search of said alcohol. 

Surprisingly enough, he found an entire wine cellar in in the basement. He picked an old vintage, figuring that Snoke wouldn’t mind. If he did, Hux would blame it on Ren. The thought brought a warm smile to his face. 

Hux was just emerging in the kitchen with his bottle of wine when Ren decided to join them as well, entering from the other direction. He was wearing pajama pants as well, though he was completely shirtless. His hair was still dripping, though the water was caught by the towel slung across Ren’s shoulders. 

Hux put the wine in the refrigerator, and Ren came over to look at what he was doing curiously. Hux only closed the refrigerator door and huffed, smacking Ren on the chest playfully - careful to avoid any injury. “Put a shirt on, you barbarian.”

Ren only grunted, giving him a sheepish smile.

“And dry your hair; you look like a wet dog.” With these words, Hux reached up to take the towel, rubbing Ren’s hair vigorously beneath it. 

“Wait, Hux -“ Ren tried to protest, but it was much too late.

When Hux was satisfied, he let the towel drop. He could only laugh at the combined effect of Ren’s poofy hair and the look he was giving him. He looked crestfallen.

“This, Hux,” Ren said, picking up a poofy lock of hair for emphasis, “is why I did not towel-dry my hair.”

“I agree with that decision. You look absolutely ridiculous.” He tried to keep his voice deadpan, but his amusement slipped through. 

“Dinner’s ready!” Mitaka called, effectively breaking up their conversation.

Phasma emerged at the call, her own short hair already mostly dry and styled freely. “Mitaka, you are an angel,” she sang, making straight for the food. 

Her pronouncement broke up the rest of the tension, and they all began to settle down for dinner. 

Hux grabbed the dishes and silverware from the cabinet, beginning to set the table. Surprisingly, Ren began to help him, grabbing the glasses from the cabinet and placing them appropriately. 

“Can you grab the wine from the refrigerator, Phasma?” He asked instead of commenting on Ren’s behavior. 

She hummed in response, doing as requested easily. Meanwhile, Mitaka brought the food over to the table. 

Phasma literally moaned when she took her first bite, though no one could say anything because they all had their mouths full as well. “Mitaka, you are amazing. This is the best thing I have put into my mouth for years. No offense, Hux, but First Order rations suck.”

“I agree,” he said shortly, taking another bite. He had pretty much grown up on FO rations, and he knew just how terrible they truly were. 

Mitaka flushed at the praise, nodding his head slightly. “Thank you, Captain.”

She reached over and pat him on the shoulder, giving him a grin. “No thanks necessary.”

After dinner, they all were pretty tired after traveling and swimming. They all made their way to their rooms, Hux and Ren walking upstairs together as they had a similar goal. 

Though Hux was a bit tired, he wasn’t so tired that he immediately wanted to go to sleep. He was used to working long shifts, double shifts, triple shifts, overtime. His body and mind were still in work mode, and he honestly didn’t feel like going back to his room - there was nothing to do there, really. 

As this was a rather backwater planet in a backwater area, there was no data pad connection. He would be getting no orders or anything of that nature. It filled him with a sense of dread that he was not working. Could not work. 

Sensing eyes on him, he looked over at Ren, finding that the man was already looking at him. Hux looked away, finding it hard to look at him. Whether it was because he was maskless or shirtless, or both, Hux didn’t know. 

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” 

Hux looked back at Ren, eyebrows furrowed as he stopped in the middle of the hallway. Ren stopped with him easily. “What?” The words had been completely unexpected. 

Ren shrugged, tilting his head in invitation. “A movie. There’s a movie room just past the kitchen. It’s filled with holovids.” 

His eyes narrowed, wondering if Ren had any ulterior motives. “Why? Aren’t you tired? You should rest,” he said, indicating the still-healing scars along Ren’s upper torso. 

He just shrugged again, sending Hux a grin. “Maybe I’m not tired. Maybe I just want to watch a movie. So, are you in or are you out? Either way, I’m watching a movie - and, either way, there will be popcorn.”

Hux deliberated for a moment, trying to parse out Ren’s motives. Countless times he had tried to figure out what makes Ren tick; countless times, he had failed. Still, considering the situation, there was no harm in taking the man up on the offer. After all, he had just been thinking to himself that he didn’t really want to go to sleep quite yet. 

“Fine, I’ll watch a movie with you. But you’re making the popcorn.” Hux didn’t even like popcorn. 

“Deal,” Ren said with a grin, turning around and leading Hux back the way they had come into the movie room. “You choose a holovid; I’m going to go make popcorn.”

With that, Ren turned and left, leaving Hux standing in the middle of the movie room feeling a bit lost. Ren was letting him pick the holovid? That didn’t fit with Ren’s selfish persona. At least in his mind. 

Nevertheless, he went to the holovids and began to look through them, cataloguing them for one he might be interested in. There were many different genres to choose from; action, documentary, romance (disgusting), and comedy. The two that most appealed to him was action and documentary. As he did not want to wake up Phasma and Mitaka with explosions, however, he was inclined towards the documentaries. 

He chose one about a planet named Tarsus IV, and it was about that time that Ren came in bearing a large bowl of popcorn. “Have you chosen one yet?”

“I have,” he said, brandishing the documentary as proof. 

Ren took a look at the title and sighed, wrinkling his nose. “I shouldn’t have let you pick. Of course you pick the most dry, boring holovid in this room. No doubt I’ll be asleep in fifteen minutes.”

“Don’t be stupid, Ren,” Hux said sharply, retracting the holovid from Ren’s view. Then, continuing on in a lighter tone, he said, “I doubt you’ll last even that long.”

Ren stared at him for a moment, then blinked. “Did you - did you just make a joke?”

Hux made his way over to the holodrive, looking up as he inserted the holovid. “Hey - I have a sense of humor,” he said, his voice dangerously close to a pout. It was just for affect, though.

Ren did not look convinced. “Whatever you say, General,” he said as he sat down on the couch. 

Hux got up and made his way over, sitting as far to the right as he could. There was only one couch, and though it was a large and comfortable piece of furniture, it did not seem at all big enough for the both of them. 

Of course, it only seemed that way, because there was still at least a distance of two feet between them. It was only because Hux was not at all comfortable being in such close proximity to this man. Especially when Ren was still shirtless; he had never put on a shirt earlier. 

A funny concept when he had been just fine when he was atop Ren’s shoulders in the pool, letting the man grope his thighs and hips. 

Ren for the most part seemed unconcerned with everything, and was happily eating from his bowl of popcorn. Then, sensing Hux’s eyes on him, looked over and offered him the bowl. 

It was perhaps an illogical thing to do, but despite the fact that he hated popcorn for a variety of reasons (most of those reasons being that they got stuck in his teeth), he still took a handful. The holovid began, and the lights flickered off by themselves. All that was left was the illumination from the holovid screen. 

Hux gave Ren a sideways glance, but Ren was focused on the beginning of the documentary. “Did you turn off the lights?” He prompted. 

That finally got Ren’s attention. His eyes flicked over, unworried. “Yeah, why?”

“Because lights don’t do that by themselves and it freaks people out, Ren. At least warn me.”

“Oh. Sorry.” 

It was more than mildly disturbing to Hux that Ren actually looked . . . properly chastened. For the first time in his life, probably. Hux simply hummed angrily in response. 

The documentary he had picked had a much darker theme than he had expected. It was about a famine that had occurred under a man named governor Kodos, and about how sides were chosen and people died of starvation. It was a bit horrifying to watch, but Hux forced himself to look anyway. It was because of disorder that these things were allowed to happen. 

He settled more thoroughly into the couch, enjoying the buttery and salty taste of the popcorn. That part he had no qualm with. Either the documentary was longer than he expected, or he was more tired than he realized. 

Objectively, he could feel his eyelids begin to droop, could feel himself becoming more warm with sleep. Still, as one does when one knows that they are falling asleep, he does nothing about it. He doesn’t know when the holovid screen is replaced with the backs of his eyelids when he finally falls completely asleep. 

Ren does not know either, because he had been asleep by at least a full thirty minutes prior. The documentary plays on, and, being used to waking up at certain intervals, Ren wakes to a title screen, cold popcorn, and a sleeping Hux. 

Sleepily, he gets up to turn the holovid off, and stumbles back to the couch. Briefly, he has the presence of mind to place the popcorn that had been residing on the couch onto the coffee table so that it wouldn’t spill if either of them moved. Ren was not about to make the journey back to his room at the moment. 

Instead, he sat right back down and went right back to sleep. 

It was awkward in the morning. Severely and debilitatingly awkward. 

Thankfully, it was early enough in the morning that Phasma and Mitaka were still asleep, but it appears that Hux and Ren’s bodies still have the schedule engrained into them. 

Ren woke first to an arm full of Hux. Somehow they had shifted in the night so that Ren was laying across the entire stretch of the couch with Hux atop of him. 

Immediately, he was alarmed, and knew exactly how Hux would react to this situation. And it would not be pleasant. For a split second, he wondered if he could pretend to be asleep until such time as Hux awoke and took matters into his own hands. 

As the situation stood, Ren could hardly move out of this . . . predicament without depositing the man onto the floor. He thought that Hux would like that outcome even less. 

Before he could close his eyes to pretend to be asleep, however, Hux was already waking up. He shifted, rubbing his face against Ren’s chest briefly before he lifted his head, groggy and confused. Then he looked up at Ren, blinked, stared for a moment, and promptly pushed himself up and away - falling off of the couch in the process. 

“Ren, what the kriff,” he said in a coarse voice, looking like a miffed cat sitting there on the floor where he had landed squarely on his butt. 

“Why are you blaming me? You were the one on top of me, General,” Ren reminded. 

Hux looked even angrier at the reminder, a full-on scowl on his sleep-softened face. With as much dignity he could muster, he pulled himself from the floor and swiftly took his leave from the room. “I expect you to not mention this,” he said just before he disappeared completely. 

Ren was left on the couch, slightly cold now that he didn’t have a Hux-shaped blanket. 

After everyone had woken up fully and eaten breakfast (thanks, of course, to Mitaka), they began to implement their plans of camping. As they had proposed, everyone went about their jobs to make the trip happen. 

They gathered up all of the items and made their way to the site that Phasma had found. It was nice and flat, and even had a fire pit with surrounding stones. The only thing to do was build the fire and set up the tents (which Hux had found in one of the many closets in the house). 

Hux and Mitaka gathered firewood while Phasma and Ren built it. Soon, there was a blazing pyre of wood in the fire pit. It gave off a lot of heat and light, even though they didn’t technically need any of those things. It was still evening, so it was still warm and bright out. 

He had only found three tents in the house, so two of them would have to share. Two of the tents were doubles, and Phasma had already called dibs on one of the double tents for herself. That left Hux, Ren, and Mitaka to decide on who got to share. 

Immediately, both Ren and Hux knew what the solution would be. Neither of them liked it, and Hux refused to accept it. 

“No, no. Absolutely not. I am not sharing a tent with you,” Hux stated vehemently to Ren quietly. 

Of course, Mitaka spoke up with a quiet, nervous voice. “Hey, um . . . do you mind if I take the single?”

Hux did not like it one bit, but he buried it because he was a professional, dammit. “Of course,” he told Mitaka placatingly. 

When Mitaka wondered off to make a s’more, Ren glanced at him sideways with an amused expression, arms crossed. “Not sharing a tent with me, huh?” He asked before sauntering over to the fire. 

Hux was left with clenched teeth and anger. 

This was not at all how he thought his next few days would go when he was dragging a wounded Ren through the snow on Starkiller base. No - this was far more ridiculous. 

Apparently, Ren did not like sweets that much, so he went about assembling the tents while Mitaka and Phasma were busy by the fire with s’mores. Hux also did not have a taste for sweets, so instead, he watched Ren intently as he put together the tents. 

Maybe it could be called admiring, really. Ren had nice muscles, and he was giving quite the show by displaying them so casually. Sweat was creating a slight sheen across his skin, making it seem to glow in the low sunlight. It made his hair slightly damp, making the dark strands hang down around his face and along his shoulders. 

He didn’t know how long he had been staring, but he knew that it had been far longer than is socially appropriate. Ren glanced up and caught his eye, and Hux met his gaze challengingly, holding the eye contact before letting his eyes run slowly down Ren’s body and back up. Making it blatant that he had been admiring him. 

Ren’s eyebrow raised; a silent ‘I saw that’.

Hux’s chin went up in challenge, conveying ‘What are you going to do about it’. 

The moment passed, and Ren continued to put the tents up. Hux continued to watch unashamedly. 

After a while, Hux decided that he was going to have a s’more, so he placed a marshmallow on a stick and put it carefully above the fire. He placed it so that it would toast slowly, so that it would turn a light brown color while also being perfectly melted. 

It was just about ready when something jostled his arm, sending the marshmallow directly into the fire. The marshmallow caught fire, turning a dark burnt color swiftly. Hux, being startled, looked up, only to find Ren looking on with an ever-amused expression. 

When he looked back to the quickly burning marshmallow, he made a noise of despair. “Ren! Look at what you’ve done - you’ve set my marshmallow on fire,” Hux said, pulling it from the fire and blowing on it to put it out. 

It was completely ruined, the damage already done. Hux glared at it with a pout. 

“Ah, what a tragedy,” Ren said as he swooped in with a pre-made s’more - complete save the marshmallow. Promptly, he scooped up the burnt marshmallow, then took a bite from the s’more he had stolen. 

“That is my marshmallow,” Hux protested. 

Ren opened his mouth, displaying the half-chewed s’more. “D’you want it back?” He asked, mouth full. 

Hux wrinkled his nose. “You are disgusting.”

It was only fitting that Ren would enjoy a completely burnt and disgusting marshmallow. He was a completely uncouth heathen. 

With much posturing, Hux retrieved another marshmallow, placing it primly above the fire and narrowing his eyes as he watched Ren. There would not be another repeat of the marshmallow burning incident. 

Fortunately for him, Ren kept his distance, chewing his gross burnt s’more with his mouth open. Hux crinkled his nose at him, but it only spurred the man on. Hux, feeling moved to childishness for some reason, stuck his tongue out at Ren, placing his now perfectly-toasted marshmallow between the graham crackers and chocolate. 

Ren, after swallowing his last bite, actually had the audacity to grin from ear to ear at him, as if he had just won some marvelous prize. “General Hux, did you just - “ Ren began, his voice half scandalized, half amazed. 

“I do not know what you are referring to, Ren.” Hux said sharply, cutting Ren’s words off. Phasma and Mitaka, who had not been paying attention to them previously, turned to look at them suspiciously. Hux sent Ren a glare. Ren only continued to grin.

The moment passed, and they all decided that it was time for bed. It was pitch black outside now, the only light being from the stars and the red glow of the fire. 

They all moved towards their tents, Phasma with a smug grin, Mitaka with his usual shy countenance,  
and Hux with a grimace. Ren looked indifferent as he followed after Hux, ducking into the tent that they would be sharing for the night. 

Thankfully, there was at least a small amount of space separating their sleeping bags. Hux detested these sleeping arrangements, and not only because he had to share a tent with Ren. He had never enjoyed sleeping on the cold hard ground by himself either. Still, he slid into his sleeping bag, ignoring Ren as the man did the same beside him. 

It took him exceedingly long to fall asleep. Even longer than usual - which, with his overactive brain, was quite a while on a normal night. 

It did happen though, even if he woke up not two hours later hugging his knees because he was cold. Or maybe that had not been the reason he had woken up. 

No, because he heard Ren shift beside him, shuffling closer, before he had a rather warm arm wrapped around his waist. Ren pulled him closer, until his back was pressed firmly against the man’s solid chest. He could feel his breath against his hair. 

In shock, Hux did not move or say anything for a very long moment. Then a tentative, “Ren?”

He did not expect an answer. That’s why he tensed slightly when there was an answering, “Hux,” breathed nonchalantly into his hair. 

“What are you doing?” He whispered, trying to sound severe. His sleepy voice missed the mark, and instead landed on curiosity. 

“You were cold,” Ren offered in explanation, slightly squeezing Hux around the waist with his arm. It was a pointless motion, as they were already pressed as tightly together as they could be, but strangely enough, it made Hux feel . . . secure. 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Hux grumbled, though his voice was much more muted now that he was slowly warming up. The heat seeping into him by having Ren’s warm body pressed against his own was making him sleepy. 

“Hmm,” Ren hummed, nuzzling into Hux’s hair. “I think it’s called ‘cuddling’.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Most certainly not,” Hux said, rejecting the idea immediately. Though the idea of it didn’t bother him enough for him to actually move.

“But we most certainly are cuddling, General. Look, I’m holding you,” Ren pointed out, his voice a mixture of amusement and exhaustion. 

“Mmm, no, you’re warming me,” Hux said stubbornly.

“Yes, but that process involves cuddling.”

“Cuddling is a process that involves two people who like each other. We most certainly do not qualify for that.”

“They do say to keep your enemies closer,” Ren said, his voice thick with amusement and sleep. 

Even if Hux did have a reply to that, it would have been lost. Ren’s arm shifted, his hand coming up in order to card his fingers through Hux’s hair. It felt nice to have his hair played with, and it silenced him effectively. 

“But you do know that I am not your enemy, don’t you Hux?” Ren murmured, his voice muted as he trailed his fingers behind his ear, partially traveling down his neck before gliding back up again. If he hadn’t been so tired, it might have made him shiver. 

“Mmm,” he hummed in sarcastic assent, the warmth and the soothing motion of Ren’s fingers in his hair making him far too sleepy for conversation now. His eyes closed, and he could feel himself dozing back off to sleep.


	3. A Lot More Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of pitching a tent (in more ways than one), invasion of a shower, and bad friend advice.

Needless to say, he was beyond grumpy in the morning. He woke up far too hot, sticky with sweat from where Ren was clinging to him in the night. As he was still clinging to him currently. 

Hux shifted, smacking lightly at Ren wherever he reach, mostly his arms. “Ren, let go of me,” he protested, not even able to move his legs because Ren had effectively become a giant octopus in the night. “Ren,” he said again, trying to wiggle out of the man’s grasp. 

All he got for his efforts was a deep grumble by his ear, and an only slightly irritated reprimand. “It’s early, Hux. Go back to sleep.” It seemed like Ren’s limbs were locked atop of him by cement. 

But Hux was notoriously waspish when first waking, especially when he had not had his caf yet. And he had not had his caf yet. Unfortunately, or perhaps very fortunately in Ren’s case, there were no limbs in the vicinity of Hux’s mouth. He would have bitten him, if he had access. Alas, he did not, so his only weapon was his words. 

“I cannot go back to sleep, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. Just to spite you.”

“Mmmmm,” Was the only response he got, and Ren did not seem to be even remotely inclined to move at all. 

“Ren,” Hux spat out viciously, trying once again to move in vain. It seemed that Ren had dozed back off again, and Hux was still very much trapped in his arms. It was a bit of an awkward situation, because he was only just keeping his morning wood from pressing against the man. 

He finally gave up when it appeared that Ren was not going to budge, and he hated to admit it, but he quietly enjoyed how warm Ren was. It was a sharp contrast to the cold morning air. 

Once he settled down again, Hux did manage to doze back off. 

Honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he woke up with a soft brush to his hair, his lower body pressed up against his co-commander quite inappropriately. The worst thing being that his morning wood was still as prominent as ever, and it was pressing quite insistently into Ren’s lower stomach. His incredibly toned lower stomach.

Immediately, he turned beet red, embarrassment gripping him like a vice. “Kylo fucking Ren,” He hissed, trying to push the man away and off of him. It didn’t work; the only thing it succeeded in doing was shifting his hard cock against Ren’s abs. More embarrassment and heat washed over him, causing him to struggle more. The friction only made him flush harder, had him biting his lip with it. 

All of it was almost too much, and Hux stilled his hips because all of the struggling was only making things worse, even though he could still feel every inch pressed against Kylo acutely. When he looked up, Ren’s brown eyes were dark with some unnamed heat. It was as if time had paused as they both looked at each other for a moment, their faces mere inches apart. 

It took nearly all of Hux’s control not to purposefully roll his hips into the man; being pressed so tightly against Kylo yet holding completely still was most definitely a form of torture. 

Kylo kept his gaze concentrated on him as he slowly reached down to grip Hux’s hip before rolling his abdomen into Hux’s erection. Hux’s eyes closed quickly shut as he let out a small, whimpered, “Ah!” before he bit down on his lip to cut the sound off. It was really hard (ha) not push back into that sweet friction, and he could feel his thighs quiver a bit from the restraint. He was thoroughly embarrassed now, and he didn’t know how much longer Kylo would continue to tease him. 

Thankfully, the answer was ‘not long’. It was only of Kylo’s own volition that the man decided to move away; he was solid muscle, and Hux probably wouldn’t have been able to physically move him one way or another even if he really tried. 

As soon as Ren was far enough away, which wasn’t incredibly far in the decidedly cramped tent, Hux grabbed the sleeping bag and pulled it up to his chest. Not that he could recover much modesty in front of the man who had already felt his boner. Intimately. 

He was sure that his face must be tomato red, and he hated Ren for that too. 

“This - this is - this didn’t happen. Got it?”

Ren gave him something of a fond look, which was strange in the moment. “Of course, Hux,” He said softly, his voice deep and rough from sleep. His features were still slack, his face far more handsome than it had any right to be. 

But with those words, Hux didn’t have any more ammunition. He nodded sharply. “Yes. Good.” 

He was still achingly hard in his sleep pants, and he could feel a small damp patch where his precum had leaked out a bit. Kriff, Kylo Ren was going to destroy him. 

They ate a breakfast of sausages cooked over a mostly dead fire, and then they packed up all of the camping gear before making the trudge back up to the mansion. They placed everything away properly before parting to take showers. 

Before the last tent was properly stored, Ren waved Hux away to go take the first shower since they shared a bathroom. Hux did not need to be told twice, and he went upstairs to wash the grime of camping off of him while leaving Ren to place away the tent. 

He eagerly stripped off his clothes, stepping into the shower and letting the hot water hit him. He was just rinsing the shampoo from his hair when he heard footsteps, then the sound of the bathroom door being opened. With dread, he realized that he had forgotten to lock it again. 

“Ren! I am in the shower,” He said sharply, turning his body towards the shower wall. 

“You didn’t lock the door,” Came Ren’s deep voice. 

Then came the soft noises of . . . “Are you getting naked?” Hux asked in disbelief. 

“I have to take a shower.”

“Ren, I am in here,” Hux said with something like panic in his voice.

“Mmhmm,” Ren hummed, and then the shower curtain was being pulled back to admit another body. Hux wasn’t looking, because he had his back firmly turned on him. 

“Take your own shower.”

“I’d rather have yours,” Ren said with some amusement, stepping forward into the spray of water. Hux, who had previously been under the water, stepped forward to make room. It was either that, or make contact with the man. 

“This is inappropriate,” he protested again, though he knew it was a bit hopeless by now. 

“I know; you really should lock your doors, General. Someone you don’t like might walk in on you and see you naked,” Ren said, voice still very much amused. 

“You! You are talking about you!” Hux said, vexed and completely at a loss. In addition to that, Ren was stealing all of the hot water and he was starting to get cold. He wrapped his arms around his chest, feeling very much like a wet cat at the moment. 

“I don’t know what you’re on about, Hux. You like me just fine,” he said with a grin, and though Hux couldn’t see it on his face he could hear it in his voice. Smug bastard. 

“That is the most wildly inaccurate thing that you have ever said,” Hux stated, miffed that it was likely the man would not be leaving anytime soon; propriety be damned. 

A large thumb swept across his neck and shoulder, Kylo’s voice issuing out in a low tone, “You have gotten more sun, General. Your freckles are getting darker.”

“You’re cold. Come on, get beneath the water,” Kylo said, completely unbothered by Hux’s irritation. Despite Hux having the express opposite of that desire, Kylo grabbed him by the hips - him! By the hips! - and dragged him beneath the hot spray of water once again. 

Yes, it was an awkward situation, but it felt nice not to be cold anymore. Plus, he hadn’t gotten all of the shampoo rinsed before Kylo had decided to crash his shower. Fine, if it was going to be like this, then Hux was simply going to ignore him. The only problem with this solution was the fact that it was really difficult not to get hard with Kylo manhandling him. Especially since he hadn’t gotten off yet that morning. 

“Don’t touch me,” he said prissily, slapping away Ren’s hands from his waist. He was suddenly sure that Kylo was trying to bait him somehow, but he was not going to fall for it. 

Kylo snorted, seeming totally un-offended at being slapped away. “Yes, your highness,” he mumbled under his breath. Hux couldn’t tell what he was doing behind him, but he assumed that he was probably soaping himself up. Not that he wanted to know. 

He rinsed the rest of the shampoo before stepping out of the spray again. He had every intention of leaving the shower now that he had accomplished his goal. Hux was just parting the shower curtain, trying very hard not to look at Ren’s decidedly naked body from his peripherals (that would only make this situation worse), when Kylo finally said, “You have a cute butt.”

Hux couldn’t help it; he turned to look at Kylo with wide, disbelieving eyes, his curious gaze flickering down for one solid second to take in his co-commanders body, before flicking back up again. Their eyes met. Ren had seen him. 

A flush pinked Hux’s entire body. He realized that his mouth had been partially open, and he closed it, biting his lip in censure. He could not believe that he was in this situation. And acting like a damn virgin, as well. I mean, he was a virgin, but that didn’t mean that he had to act like one. 

He angrily turned his gaze back to the safety of the shower curtain, pulling it open and stepping out onto the bath mat. Hurriedly, he wrapped a towel around his waist, wanting to get as far away from Ren as possible right now. He left him in the bathroom, cursing the fact that he couldn’t lock his door. Perhaps Kylo would show some decorum and not burst in on him from the bathroom, however small of a chance that was. 

Luckily, Kylo did not barge in, and he was able to get dried off and dressed properly. They ate a nice lunch together that evening, and Hux studiously looked everywhere else but Kylo, and would barely engage him in conversation. Phasma and Mitaka definitely picked up on the stilted behavior, but they were both wise enough not to comment, thankfully. 

“We should do something else, though I’m still pretty worn out from camping last night. Maybe we should brainstorm for tomorrow?” Mitaka was saying. 

“We could go down to the river tomorrow. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Phasma offered. She looked at Kylo, “You wanted to do that too, right?”

Kylo nodded, but he was looking at Hux. Hux was pointedly look at Phasma. “Right,” Kylo said finally, turning back to look at Phasma after he realized that Hux was not going to acknowledge him. 

After lunch, Phasma popped open a bottle of beer and handed it to Hux. He accepted it and took a sip thankfully. Mitaka had gone up to his room to take a nap and Kylo was watching a holovid, so they were alone in the kitchen. 

She opened one for her, downing a quarter of the bottle before she leveled him with a look. “So,” she started, leaning a hip against the counter not-quite-casually, “what’s up between you and Ren?”

A bemused expression came over Hux’s face before he chugged a sizable amount of the alcohol from his bottle. “Well,” he said, burping, “to be quite honest, I have absolutely no clue.”

Phasma shrugged, taking another sip from her beer. “It’s none of my business, but it did get kind of awkward earlier. Are you two fucking?”

Hux, who had been in the middle of drinking, pulled back, sputtering. “W-what, why would you ask that?” His face was completely red. 

Another shrug. Phasma looked completely unimpressed and unconvinced. “Like I said, it’s none of my business, but if you aren’t fucking, then maybe you should be. It’s better to do it now than when on duty. If you push it off, it’ll just get in the way of your working relationship.” A pause, then, “Not that I think that your professional relationship can get much more dysfunctional. Still.” Another casual sip. 

“You . . . think that I should . . . have sex with Kylo Ren?” Just to clarify. 

Phasma nodded. 

“I think . . . that I am going to need a lot more alcohol.”

“I got you.”


	4. Internecine

Hux was not a drinking man. Aboard the Finalizer he had far too many duties to see to for him to be a casual drinker. He would prefer to work over drinking any day. Which is why it barely took two and a half drinks to get him well and tipsy. Thankfully he was a man that knew his limits when it came to alcohol and stopped there. 

But not before Phasma put the brilliant idea to confront Kylo Kriffing Ren into his head. “It’s his fault that this is happening anyway,” he vented to Phasma, huffing as he impatiently crossed his arms. “He’s been . . . I don’t know, seducing me. He is! I swear it. He’s been using mind tricks or something. Somehow he always manages to make it look like my fault, too.”

Phasma was extremely amused by the whole situation, though she hid it well beneath a small, smug grin. “And how does he do that?” She asked, sipping from a beer. She was already on her third, but she had a much better tolerance than Hux. No doubt she was a casual drinker. 

“Well, for instance . . . when we went camping, he . . . um . . . “ he just realized that he didn’t want to tell Phasma about the cuddling. He was a man, kark it, and men did not cuddle! At least, not with other men. Well, actually, that part was fine. It was just that . . . he, Hux, himself did not cuddle. He did not cuddle! “Never mind,” he finished lamely, sighing as he gave an angry hand wave. 

“So there’s no explanation then? Maybe it is your fault, Hux,” Phasma sing-songed teasingly. “Maybe you just see his big strong muscles and can’t help but pop a boner.”

“Piss off, Phasma. It’s definitely not me,” Hux said, though his tone held more amusement than earlier. 

“Then what’s up?”

Hux sighed again, propping his hips up against the counter. “Alright, another example then. He came into the bathroom while I was taking a shower, and instead of leaving when I told him to, he took his clothes off and got in with me! And then he informed me that I had a cute butt.”

Phasma wiggled her eyebrows. “I don’t know if I believe that, Hux. I’d have to inspect for myself,” she said with a lascivious grin. 

“I am not showing you my butt,” Hux snapped sharply, though he had a tint of red to his cheeks.

“So here’s the question, Hux; do you like the attention or not? If not, then tell him to go shove it. If you do like it though, you should just bang him and get it over with. I mean, it is ‘summer break’, right? I’m sure Snoke wouldn’t mind you having a little summer loving.”

Hux grimaced at the term, feeling that it was much too . . . adolescent. “First of all, never say ‘summer loving’ again. Second of all, you give sound advise. I’m going to go tell Kylo to shove off, then. Thanks for the liquid courage.”

Phasma smiled a smile conveying that she knew exactly how this encounter was going to turn out; and it wasn’t going to be with Hux sleeping alone tonight. Hux didn’t see it; he was already turning to leave. “Good luck,” she called, the amusement in her voice skyrocketing. She just hoped that her bedroom was far enough away to not hear anything tonight.

When Hux found his way into the movie room, Ren was halfway through some action thriller holovid. The lights were off, making it hard to see except by the light of the screen. “Ren,” Hux said, not quite angry, but a hint of frustration under the surface. He stood in font of the couch, just to the side and shy of being completely in front of the man. 

“Hux,” Ren greeted back casually. He was looking up at him almost wearily; he could probably tell that he had been drinking. 

Not knowing really where to start, Hux just jumped right to the point. He had never seen the point of circumlocution anyway. “You need to stop coming on to me.”

One of Kylo’s eyebrows rose. “Coming on to you? I think you have it backwards, Hux. I think that you are coming on to me.”

Hux’s mouth opened in utter shock. “No - when - when have I ever come on to you, Kylo Ren?” Hux asked, voice completely exasperated. 

“Hmm, let’s see. When you asked me to hold you by the hips in the pool? Or when you fell asleep on me when we were watching that holovid? Or maybe when you were rubbing your-“

“STOP!” Hux shouted, his face going completely red. Thankfully it was hard to see in the darkness. His blush didn’t completely come from embarrassment though; of this he was ashamed. Kylo’s deep voice saying those words had sent arousal through him, curse the man.

“I was not . . . rubbing myself on you. In fact, I seem to recall that you were the one who held me down and rubbed yourself on me.”

Ren was about to interrupt, but Hux held up a finger to silence him. “Furthermore,” he said, pausing so that he knew that Kylo would be quiet, “you were the one who came into my bathroom, stripped naked, and got into the shower with me. So you say that you are not coming on to me, then?”

Slowly, Kylo nodded. “Alright. Then I am coming on to you, Hux. But you started it.”

For some reason, that enraged Hux even more. “I started it?” He asked, voice rising. “How did I start it?” As he spoke he came closer and closer to Kylo, just shy of getting in his face. 

Ren cocked his head to the side, as if he was trying to decide how to word something. Hux had a fleeting thought that Kylo’s face was now perfectly angled for a kiss, and that his lips did look rather kissable. But that was just the alcohol, no doubt. 

Finally, Kylo met his eyes where he had been looking down in thought before. “That first day in the pool, I felt it, Hux. I felt your spike of arousal and want. Towards me. And at first I brushed it off, but then . . . I kept feeling it, more and more. How much you want me.”

Hux pulled away, shaking his head stubbornly. “I do not want you, Ren. You are sorely mistaken.”

“So you didn’t desperately want to kiss me just now?” Ren asked, his voice low and dangerously dark. His head was still tilted to the side, but his eyes were narrowed into slits like some predator of the night. 

Hux felt a chill go down him just as surely if someone had poured ice water over him. “I - I . . . “ 

He what? It’s not as if he could deny it. Kylo knew. He felt as if he were standing there naked, completely vulnerable as Kylo looked at him. For the first time in a long time, Hux did not know what to do. 

Hux bit his lip, his hands clenched in fists so hard that he wouldn’t be surprised if his nails drew blood from his palms. “Fine,” he finally spat, “I can’t deny that. But I can hardly control what you pick up from my mind. I can only control my actions, which is more than you can say for yourself.”

Kylo sighed. “So back to fighting again, then, General?”

For some reason, the title coming from Ren’s lips made him want to flinch. Maybe it was because he had grown used to Kylo calling him “Hux” more often than not nowadays. 

Hux turned away. “Goodnight,” he said resolutely, walking away. 

“Hux.” The way that Kylo said his name, his voice firm and low and commanding, it made Hux stop where he stood. Waiting. “I want you too.”

Hux swallowed, the taste of beer still lingering on his tongue and reminding him that he shouldn’t make bad decisions just because he was mildly inebriated. And then he thought, ‘Kark it’. 

“Come to bed with me, then.” 

Kylo rose to his feet behind him, padding his way almost silently to Hux’s side. They walked together back to their rooms, leaving the sound of the distant holovid explosions behind them. Any other time, Hux would pester Ren to turn it off before leaving the room, but tonight he could not have cared less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phasma called it.


End file.
